


Death Breath: The Debt Collector

by dumbledorable



Series: Nico di Angelo's Adventures in the Wizarding World [1]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types, Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan
Genre: Alternate Universe - Harry Potter Setting, F/M, Gen, M/M, Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief, nico di angelo at hogwarts
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-08-29
Updated: 2014-08-31
Packaged: 2018-02-15 07:11:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,245
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2220192
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dumbledorable/pseuds/dumbledorable
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Nico goes to Hogwarts as a student to guide the golden trio on their quest for horcruxes.<br/>Set in the golden trio's fifth year at hogwarts [yeah i know most are, bear with me]<br/>First posted on 8/29/14.<br/>Updated Mondays.<br/>Spoiler Warning: Do not read unless fully caught up with HP series, PJO and HoO series.<br/>Also posted on wattpad.com</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1: Misson Accepted

**Author's Note:**

> Harry Potter/Percy Jackson crossover.
> 
> Set after HoO [will be updated as more HoO come out]. Nico is bisexual in this AU. 
> 
> Comments/Kudos appreciated, as I need to know if you guys are intested in the story and want more :)

Nico decided his preferred method of transportation was shadow travel. He hated flying, besides the fact that he could be blasted out of the sky at any minute, he couldn't get comfortable with those thoughts looming over him. Going by boat was alright, but still made him shaky. He could never be sure with Poseidon.

Nico had been traveling Europe, looking for his mother's family. He was too, well, apprehensive to go into Italy and Greece. He wasn't sure how the monsters would react to a Big Three kid. Probably not very well.  
His father had summoned him. That was the first thing that set off his alarms. Normally, his father would transport him without his content into his personal throne room in the Underworld. But this time, it was a set date. Next Thursday, August 26th, his father wanted him to be at Camp Half-Blood, in his cabin. Hades would send a messenger. Needless to say, Nico was very, very ... hesitant. His hands grew a little shaky. He dreaded that it would be bad news. Nico was nearing his fifteenth birthday, and he figured it would come with some terms and conditions he hadn't been notified of. 

He glanced around his hotel room in Hungary. It was almost bare, all his belongings tucked into his suitcase. Not like he had much. A few black or gray t-shirts, a spare leather jacket. A ton of socks, boxers, a few pairs of skinny jeans and a pair of sweatpants. His few cosmetic pieces-a comb, some gel, deodorant. Not much. He lived off the free samples from hotels. 

He had been resting for two days for this trip. Shadow-traveling over countries was tiring, but over an ocean was downright exhausting. He would probably crash for another day when he got back, that's why he was leaving on Tuesday. 

Glancing aroud, he checked around the room once more for any of his belonging he had forgotten. Reassured, he zipped up his case and anxiously twisted his skull ring around his finger. 

He pulled his curtains over the windows, stealing one last look at the skyline. It was twilight. Nico made sure his door was shut, but not locked. The room key lay on the bed. Tomorrow, the hostess would find the room empty, and Nico would be long-gone. 

He picked up his case and slung his emergency backpack over his shoulder. He patted his side, where his sword hung. He stared at the darkest corner of the room, and ran straight towards it-focusing all the while on his dark cabin at camp. Shadow traveling was always interesting. You never got used to the feeling of uneasiness creeping up your back, the trickle of fear and the chilling cold. Then all of a sudden, it would disappear, and you would blink the spots from your vision. 

Nico did this, and saw his cabin cold and empty, as usual. 

His bed was coffin-shaped, with Greek fire casting an erie glow around the room. Ivory, obsidian, onyx and of course, Stygian iron made up the only furniture in the room-three coffin-shaped beds, along with three trunks at the base of each, bed-side tables separating each. A small alter stood under the only window, with a small patch of earth right under it. The cabin door was a heavy slab of rock, but it was only an illusion. You could walk right past it. However, if you tried to move it, you could never walk in without being invited. Nico loved it since it kept his cabin quiet. 

He huffed a deep sigh and rolled his shoulders. Nico was whipped out. Slinging his backpack off and setting his case on the floor, he settled for his be-the middle one. He could never decide between the altar or the door. Both made him uneasy. So he settles for the middle. 

 

When Nico woke, it was midnight on Wednesday. The next day his dad would send a messenger to collect him, and Nico might not make it out of Hades alive. 

He smirked at that thought.

'Well,' Nico thought. 'I've had a nice nap.' Knowing he wouldn't be able to sleep again, Nico headed to the showers-the only time they would be empty. 

He grabbed a dark purple towel hung up beside his bed, and grabbed a bottle from his dwindling supplies of soap. Shuffling out the door, Nico took his time walking through camp. He could hear snores and soft, sleepy grunts and occasionally, whispers, but Nico shrugged them off. It was nighttime, and he blended in with the shadows. 

When he reached the bathrooms, he could only hear silence. Hopefully no one would wander in on him in the middle of the night. He went inside, ignoring the rank stench of the guys bathroom, and walked past the back of the building-the showers. Thankfully, there were private stalls separated from Each other. Otherwise, Nico would have never stepped foot in here. Well.. Maybe. 

He shuffled into a stall and began to strip. Years of training and being on his own had made him a skinny little prick-but had also given him lithe muscles. Recently he had gotten an undercut, especially since traveling in Europe. Most dudes had them, and to be honest Nico thought they were so cool.  
He placed his clothes as far away from the shower as possible, in the little separate room from the shower curtain. 

The water was a cold shock at first, but quickly warmed up. Nico stood under the water for a few seconds before washing up. Once he was finished, he shut off the water and dried himself. He shrugged on a white tank top and his sweatpants. Now fully awake, he decided to walk down to the lake. Sometimes the water lapping against the shore could be calming. Other times it just made him tense. When he got there, he was glad to see that he was still alone. He knew that ever since Tatarus, Percy spent most of his nights out here. But he was thankfully in his own cabin. Nico decided not to risk a midnight boat ride, especially if he was all alone. Poseidon was polite, but Nico wasn't sure if he would take it as an insult. It was times like these that Nico hated everything. He admitted it, he was bitter. But he wasn't going to pull a Luke. That would be catastrophic. 

Nico also hated his future. He didn't like Oracles or prophecies because he felt that they were just delivering his premature death-sentence. And he hated not knowing the future, sort of. He was a control freak, alright. He needed to be in control of his future, but he felt that the gods would just keep messing with him until he died. Or his dad would keep sending him on pointless errands until he died of exhaustion. 

Nico felt that the universe hated him. He also knew that the sad part was that it was basically true. The titans and gods, they all mostly hated him. 

With that happy thought, he got off the sandy beach, dusted his ass off, and went to bed. 

 

When he woke up, however, he wasn't met with the comforting and gloomy look of cabin 13, rather, the face of Alecto. 

Nico nearly jumped into the air he was so startled, but didn't want to give Alecto the satisfaction. So he settled for yelling. 

"Alecto! What are you—" she place a dry hand over his mouth.

"Hush! Your father wants to see you." With that, Nico felt himself melt into the ground. 

Nico felt the familiar chills of shadow travel, and when he opened his eyes he was in his father's throne room. 

"Nicolas. Quite the attire to be meeting with your lord father." As usual, his father greeted him with cynicism. 

"Forgive me, father. Alecto did not give me a chance to straighten up." Nico smirked at the hidden joke. 

"You are lucky I am in a forgiving mood, once again Nicolas. Come." Hades motioned for his son to follow him behind his throne, where Half of the room remained. A well was stationed in the center of the other half of the room, a black fog hanging over it. Hades waved his hand in the air, and the fog started to turn a different color. 

"Nico, there is an important mission I need for you to complete. It is not unlike the Roman camp task, in that these individuals may reveal themselves to be enemies. Today you will meet the goddess—" 

"Hectate." A figure shrouded in mist appeared near his father. Her smile materialized first, reminding Nico of the Cheshire Cat in Alice in Wonderland.

As always, Nico's mortal ways almost got the better of him as he almost held out a hand for Hectate to shake. Instead, he bowed slightly. 

"Nico," Hectate began, "I cannot help but require your assistance in this task. Let me show you, first." 

The fog over the well materialized to from a moving picture, almost like a video but more blurry. The shapes began to form human-like figures, and a pale figure came into view. He was almost as horrifying as Nico's bed head. He had veins crawling along his bald scalp, slits for nostrils, and red reptilian eyes. He was the most gruesome mortal Nico had ever seen, that he wasn't sure if he even was mortal.  
Hectate turned to him, "This is a mortal known to his followers as Lord Voldemort. To those he terrorizes, they call him "he-who-shall-not-be-named," or simply "you-know-who.". He is a mortal, yet hardly. He possesses magic, you see. Those like him, some follow him and some do not." 

Nico nodded, then opened his mouth to ask how they have come to have magic, when Hectate spoke again; "I have blessed their kind, witches and wizards, a millennial ago. However, some are not worthy of the blessing and are born as squibs."

Now Nico turned to his father. "Why is this of your concern?" 

His father frowned, and grumbled, "Nicolas, this man has evaded death with the powers given to him by Hectate." He glared at the goddess, "Voldemort, or as his birth certificate reads 'Tom Riddle', has split his soul into seven parts. They call them 'horcruxes'. This is very important to your mission."

"Can I have the details now, please?" Nico was anxious to get this over with. 

Hectate smiled at him, making Nico internally shiver. "This information is for your ears only, Nico. It is unnatural for our two worlds to mix. No demigods have ever interfered in the world of my blessed. You must tread very lightly, so not to alert them of our presence. Come." She held out a hand to him, and must starts to flow from her dress out to him in tendrils. He looked to his father for permission, and was given a tight nod. "I will see you again on New Years Day, Nicolas."

Nico logged that bit of information into his memory for later, so it wouldn't come as a surprise. He grasped Hectate's hand, and was enveloped in smoke. 

When it cleared, Nico saw he was standing in a very tight room. Well, not so much tight as very packed. With coins. 

"Nico, this will be your vault. It is the wizard bank, here in London." 

So Nico has traveled to London. Hopefully she would transport him back to America, were he could pack. 

She handed him an envelope. "You will be posing as a fifth year student at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. You will take a train from Kings Cross station, London, into Hogsmead on September first. Then, you will meet the headmaster, who will privately sort you into your house in his office. There are four houses, which I'm sure he will explain. There is a boy in your year, Harry Potter. It is critical that you befriend him to extract information necessary to complete the mission." 

Nico nodded. "Won't they be suspicious of I just randomly transfer? And my American accent?"

"You alone are responsible for fooling these people. The objective of this mission is to destroy these horcruxes, or lay a path for Harry Potter to do so. The Fates have decreed that Lord Voldemort can only be destroyed by Harry. Make sure you do not fail, Nico." 

Must filled the room, and Nico had to close his eyes to keep them from watering. When he reopened them, he was back in his cabin at Camp Half-Blood. He gripped the envelope, and ripped it open. Inside was a gold key, he assumed to his Gringotts vault, a ticket for platform 9 3/4 at Kings Cross Station, and a supply list. 

Nico left the contents on his bed, and grabbed his suitcase. He threw in his black jacket, a few tshirts and jeans, underwear and socks, an extra pair of sneakers, and his meager supplies of hygiene products. He was a little upset that this would interrupt his search for his mother's family, but he figured it was better than upsetting his father. 

Nico then exchanged his white tank-top for a gray sweater, and grabbed his slide-on sandals. He was feeling the sweatpants, though. He zipped up his suitcase with the envelope thrown in on top. He grabbed a handful of drachmas from his nightstand and shoved them in his pockets. He was about to shadow travel to London, when he decided he had best tell someone he was leaving. He didn't know how long he would be gone, maybe a year. He walked through the cabin door, and almost ran into Percy who was staring at his cabin stupidly. 

"What are you doing?," Nico asked, suspicious. 

"Well, I was trying to figure out how to get in. Some naiads saw you last night at the lake and I was just checking in. I haven't seen you in like, five months, Nico." Percy's eyebrows scrunched together. 

"Yeah, I got back last night, but I'm leaving again right now. Maybe for a year." Nico would never admit it, but he added the last sentence to see how Percy would react. 

"Oh. Well where are you headed to this time?" He now added a frown to his scrunched eyebrows. 

"London." 

"Well if you're gonna be gone for a year in London, at least grab some lunch with me."

Nico shrugged and they headed to the dining pavilion. You could get lunch here, but it was very informal. Campers came and went, mingling among the tables. Nico and Percy sat across from each other, and a nymph set a plate of cheeseburgers on the table. Percy raised a goblet of blue coke to the ceiling and moved his lips, and took a sip. Percy was always very respectful to the gods. 

Nico was always a little ticked off at them, so he dug right in. That wouldn't have gotten him electrocuted at lunch, but at dinner it was a big no-no. 

During their meal, they exchanged the usual pleasantries and Percy played the part of the big-brother, even though Nico was a great deal older than him. Nico gave Percy what little details he could about his past year, and what was to come. 

"What have you been up to?" Percy inquired. 

"Little of this, little of that," Nico tried to avoid direct answers. It wasn't even a conscience move, now. It was instinct not to trust anybody. But if it was the past, what would it hurt?

"C'mon Nico, tell me." Percy nudged him. 

"Well, I've been sort of roaming Europe looking for my mom's family." 

Percy's gaze grew interested, and he lowered his burger. When his interest left food, you knew it was genuine. "Yeah, except now my dad wants me to go to Scotland and patch some things up with his ... associates." 

Percy sort of shrugged. "How is your dad?" Ever since the war the gods have been trying to keep in touch with their kids more, as being distant in the past didn't really work out. 

"He's the same." Nico shrugged. His dad wasn't exactly a paternal figure. But their relationship was bordering friendly, so he guessed that was an improvement. 

Percy had finished his burger by now, and his fries, and his coke. Nico was about half-way through his burger, and had only taken a few sips of his cranberry juice. 

"You haven't eaten like... anything, dude!" Percy exclaimed. 

In truth, ever since his trip into Tatarus, and his self-induced coma, he can't eat that much. It helps of course, if he just eats ambrosia and drinks nectar, but it scares Nico. He gets hungry, and eats some, but wants more. He's terrified that he'll forget how dangerous it can be to eat too much and die. 

Nico wasn't skin and bones, not by far. Years of training and months of fending for himself as a child of the Big Three have left his body in tip-top condition. It's just fuel he needs. 

"Not that hungry," he shrugged Percy's worried look off. He stood up from the benches and his plate disapeared. "Look, Perce, I should get going." 

Percy stood up now, too, and they walked back to cabin thirteen in silence. They stopped out front, and shook hands. "Make sure to IM me, Nico. Don't be a stranger." 

"Yeah, okay." Nico waved him off. "Bye, Percy." 

He trudged inside his cabin, slung his duffle bag over his shoulder, and walked into the shadows. 

Comments appreciated, as I just posted this. I need feedback regarding if u guys want more or not. Will be updated [hopefully] weekly.


	2. Chapter Two: Diagon Alley

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nico gets his school supplies and spies on the Weasleys

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> also posted on wattpad.com, updated every monday. Hope you guys enjoy :) comments/kudos appreciated :)))

He had only one place in mind-his vault at Gringotts. Hectate had shown it to him, so it wouldn't be that hard for him to reappear there. 

He wasn't counting on any protections, however. He was more than halfway there, he knew, and he could almost feel solid ground, then it fell out from under him, he fell to the ground, and he had arrived. 

Not in Gringotts, but right outside it. A tall white building with mock-Greek colums, that looks ready to fall over, loomed in front of him. He turned around and took measure of his surroundings. 'This must be Diagon Alley', Nico thought. In the envelope Hectate had given him some tips on where everthing was. Diagon Alley was like the strip-mall of the wizarding world. 

Nico dug in his bag for his vault key, and opened the door into Gringotts. Needless to say, he was a little suprised at the Goblins. His hand twitched to his black sword hanging by his hip, and he realized he should probably conceal that if he didn't want to leave anybody feeling scared of him already. He concentrated on finding it with his mind, as the Stygian Iron was a metal of the underworld, he could sense it. He snapped his fingers, and the sword melted into shadows. 

He strode forward, the goblins ignoring him as he walked past. He stopped when he reached the goblin facing the door, who he assumed would be the one in charge. 

"Excuse me, I'd like to access my vault, please." He hoped the 'please' would be enough.

The goblin looked at him, and said, "Key, please." Nico set it on the table seperating them. The little monster hoped off the desk chair, and led the way behind the row of goblins working. "Follow me, Mr. di Angelo." 

Nico wondered how they knew his name, as that always led him into trouble with monsters. But he shrugged it off. This was a bank, it was official, it was safe. 

Nico followed the goblin through a dark tunnel, then they got into a cart. The lack of seatbelts troubled Nico for a moment, then he decided not to worry about it. That worked, until the cart shot off and Nico saw absolutley nothing below him except a huge cavern. 

A roar echoed distantly, and he asked the goblin what had made that noise. "Some patrons choose to have their vaults guarded by dragons." His nasley voice explained. Nico just nodded. 

When the cart stopped in front of a long line of doors, they both hoped out, and the goblin inserted the key into a hole that hadn't been there before. The door swung open, and Nico's face turned a hue of gold as the coins reflected back at him. He opened his duffle bag, still slung across his shoulder, and grabbed a napsac he had in mind just for this. He grabbed a couple handfuls of the bigger, gold ones, a handful of silver and another of the bronze. He hoped it would be enough, he had no clue what the exchange rate was. 

After the winding trip out of Gringotts, Nico decided to drop off his duffle bag somewhere. The school term wouldn't start for another five days, so Nico decided he had better check into a hotel. And since he had only wizard money, he should find one here. 

He walked over to a man with dark skin and a flowing purple robe. "Excuse me, is there an inn anywhere near?" The man looked him up and down, then said with a deep voice, "The entrence into Diagon Alley itself was an inn. The Leaky Couldron. Come, I will show you." Nico was suprised at this man's friendliness. He shrugged and let the man lead him. 

The man turned to him, "I'm Kingsly Shacklebolt. Work with the ministry." 

That was obviously supposed to mean something, so Nico made his mouth into an 'O' shape and said, "Call me Nico." 

They continued on through the diagonal alleyway, and stopped when they reached a brick wall. The man tapped it once with a stick; no, wand, and they entered a bright alley, about the size of a broomcloset. One doorway later, and they stepped into a gloomy restaurant.

The man called out in a booming voice, "Tom! A room, please." A bald man with a hunchback smiled creepily at them. 

Nico handed over two galleons, which was apparently a good price, and the party was led into a room upstairs. Nico strode into the bare room, with dusty curtains and a spring bed-and set his duffle bag beside his bed, under a window. He slipped the envelope with instrucions and the supplies list into his sweatpants pocket, however. He was wondering why Mr Shaklebolt was still there, when the hunchback man turned to him, nodded, and left, leaving the two remaining. 

The man walked over to the small table and sat down. Nico was just left wondering why the man felt he was invited. He was a little tired of him, wouldn't he leave already? 

"I've got some shopping to do..." Nico let the unsaid hang in the air. 

"Ah," Mr Shaklebolt stood, "Do you need any help with that?" He asked, "You must be a Hogwarts student." 

Nico nodded, then shrugged. "I think I've got it covered, thanks." He led them out of the room, locking the door on his way out. 

They parted ways at the end of the stairwell, Mr Shacklebolt exiting the Leaky Couldron and Nico going through the alley into Diagon Alley once more. 

First stop, Nico decided, was the smallest thing, which he decided would be a wand. He strode around looking for Ollivanders, trying not to touch too many people on his way there.

Once he found it, he opened the door and walked inside. He almost thought it was closed, until a gray old man came bursting out of a hallway he hadn't noticed.

Right away Nico could tell this guy could see through the Mist. But he wouldn't know Nico was a demigod unless Nico did something dumb. So he was a tad tense.

"Ah! A Hogwarts student. A bit old for your first wand, aren't you?" Nico's eyebrows schrunced together, "How did you-"

The old man, Mr Ollivander, interrupted. "I remember all the wands I have ever sold. And you were never on the recieving end." The old man walked around the shop, grabbing thin boxes off the shelves, seemingly at random.

"Now," he set a dozen of them on the counter. He held up one of the boxes. "9 inches, Holly wood and dragon heartsring core. Unyeilding." He opened it up, and handed it to Nico, how held it gingerly. 

"Well," said the old man, "Give it a wave," The laterns shattered.

"No, never on the first try, it seems," he muttered. He grabbed the first wand, and handed him another. "Try this, 11 inches, birchwood, unicorn hair core. Suprisingly springy." 

Nico waved it around, feeling like an imbecile, sure his cover would be blown, and the flowers in the window died. 

The man shook his head. "No, no." Again and again, different variations of fiascos happened, until finally Nico told him, "Perhaps I just won't find one." 

Mr Ollivander looked at him. "I can assure you, my boy, that I indeed have a wand for you." He snapped his fingers, and ran back down the hallway he had appeared from. He walked back towards Nico, his arms laden with three boxes. 

He opened one up. "Here, mermaid hair core, oak wood, 13 and a quater inches. Yeilding." 

Wands came flying off the shelves. The old man smiled, and held up another of the three. "Eagle feather core, Olive branch wood, springy. 12 inches." 

The windows shattered. 

"This one was painfully difficult to make. Poplar wood, thestral feather, 11 and a half inches, unyeilding." He set it in Nico's hand, who then twirled it around, now sarcastically. 

The shadows in the room all seemed to quiver, and the temperature dropped. The shadows then raced to Nico at once, cover him with it, then bounch back to their original places. 

The old man nodded, satisfied, then picked up his own wand. Without uttering a single noise, by meerling waving his wand, the mess that Nico created was returned to its original state. 

Nico didn't know what to make of his wand, or whatever the wood or core or whatever was. But he thanked Mr Ollivander, who looked at him strangely, and paid him seven galleons. 

Next, sticking the wand into his backpocket, he decided on robes. He wandered around looking for Madame Malkin's, the apparent best robe shop, and found the quaint shoppe. 

He swung open the heavy doors, and approached a stationary old witch standing behind the counter. 

"Excuse me-" The witch wasn't moving, which led Nico to realizing it was a manniquin. 

A lady came from behind him, "Oh, dear! Another Hogwarts student, eh? New robes? Please, this way." She led him into a back room, where another boy was standing on a platform, his arms outstretched. 

Nico stood up onto the wooden platform, and the lady spun her wand around and a tape measure spun around Nico, getting his meausurments. "Now, which house are you in?" she asked.

"I'm a transfer, so, ..." Nico trailed off. 

Her gaze turned curious, but Nico just amped his angsty rebellious teenager vibe and she layed off. 

The boy on the platform next to him pursed his lips. 

"Got something to say?" Nico asked. 

The blond boy's mouth turned downwards, and he ignored him. Another warlock was attending to him, which was all fine with Nico. The boy looked like a prat anyhow. Nico was glad, however, when the lady finally got him three robes, a regular black robe, one with the hogwarts crest on, and the lady said the final one would reveal its color when he was storted. He thanked her, paid, and left. 

Next her decided on apothecary ingredients. The shop was very... smelly. Once finished with his scales and cauldrons, he decided he needed to drop them all off. Nico didn't want to trudgfe all the way back to his room, however. He decided that if he could find somewhere dark and secluded, he would shadow transport them back. Sort of. It was complex to explain. 

Whilst looking for a shadowy area, Nico found a Knockturn Alley. He shrugged, and strode down. He stopped halfway, looked around to make sure there weren't too many onlookers, then set his purchased items on the ground. He concentrated, and imagined them materizing into shadows, then those shadows transporting to his room. When heopened his eyes, they were gone. He grinned, satisfied, and strode back towards Diagon Alley. 

"Mum! You never let us go down there, please? Just to have a look?" A family of redheads were blocking the exit/entrance. 

"Now, Fred-," The mother began, "I'm George!" the teen sputtered. 

"George! You know Knockturn Alley is dangerous and filled with dangerous people, it simply isn't the place for a teenager like yourself." 

The boy, George, looked around and spotted Nico trying to scoot around them. "What about him, eh? How come he can go on down there, and I can't?" Another of the redheads spoke up, "Mum, what if I can get Harry to go with us?" 

Nico's ears picked up. Maybe they were friends with Harry Potter? The boy destined to kill Voldemort? 

The stumpy woman retorted at George in a hushed tone, "How very rude of you, George. And Ronald, I don't want you or Harry getting dragged down that Alley! Now come on!" 

The younger boy, Ronald, answered, "Yeah, okay, Mum, but Harry wrote for me to meet him-" He smiled at her. 

She nodded and shooed him off with her hand, and he walked away from the group. Nico was finally free to exit Knockturn Alley, but he decided to learn more about this Ron kid. He inferred he would be at Hogwarts next year, he just couldn't be sure what year. 

Nico felt an odd sensation around his torso. It felt like when there was something off around, like a monster, or a ghost. Something.. not right. He shrugged it off as the magic around him and continued to follow Ron. 

The kid stopped in something called Gambol and Japes Wizarding Joke Shop and Nico rolled his eyes, and just waited outside the shop. He wouldn't need to find anything in there. Curiously, ten minutes later, the door opened, and no one walked out. Nico saw a disturbance in the air around the door, and something shimmery. 

It dawned on Nico. Thantos's cloak. Some kid must have it. Nico rolled his eyes and cursed Thantos mentally, and decided to give up on Ron and follow the cloak. However was under it was probably going to get into some trouble. 

The person under it stuck to the edges of the winding road, trying to keep from bumping into people. They lead Nico to, surprisingly, The Leaky Couldron. Once inside, Nico figured he had better hide himself as well, unless he wanted someone underneath the cloak to get suspicious about him. That was the last thing he needed. So, now that Nico was experienced, he hardly had to think about it, as he blended in with the shadows, and you couldn't even tell Nico was there. He bagan to follow the cloak up a set of stairs, down a hallway, and into a small alcove. 

The wearers unsheathed the cloak, and Nico was hit by such suprise that he nearly gave up his hold on the shadows. Two boys were underneath the cloak, one was Ron, not really much suprise there, but the other. Something was off about him. He looked normal, but his soul. It was almost tourtured, but not by grief or guilt, so much as .. not completley his. There were two souls surrounding this kid. Nico looked to his forehead, where he had learned was the scar marking Harry Potter as The Boy Who Lived, and saw he was right. 

The boys began muttering anxiously, something about a Padfoot. Harry rolled up the cloak and stowed it away in a regular backpack-he must live with normal humans. 

Then, the boys went back the way they came, down the hallway and the staircase, into the Leaky Couldron, and back into Diagon Alley, where it was so bright Nico had to abandon the shadows. 

However, Nico made sure to stay close enough to hear their conversation-one more minute, and he would leave. They were getting boring, exchanging stories of someone called Vernon and Dudley. 

"This bloke-black hair and tall and all that-comes waltzing out of Knockturn Alley. Mum and George were fighting about letting him go down there, and the boy looked right suspicious. Don't think he could be with Malfoy do you?" Ron asked Harry, who shrugged. "I dunno, Ron, I think I'd have to see him for myself. He didn't have the mark did he?" 

Ron shook his head, "I haven't seen him in Hogwarts, but maybe he'll be there this year. Let's see if we can find him." 

That was Nico's cue to leave. He let them wander off in Diagon Alley, and he strayed behind, now digging out his list to get on with his shopping, so he could mull over this information later. Next, he supposed he could get an owl. Nico strode into Magical Menegerie, looked around. 

His hopes plummeted as he saw how all the owls shyed away from him, some snapping their beaks menacingly. He had forgotten. The owl was Athena's sacred animal, and the fact that most animals could sense his presence-that came with death. Sighing, he left Magical Menegerie. Next, books. He had saved this for last, since he knew there would be a ton. 

He walked around for Flourish and Blott's-the go-to bookshop for Hogwarts students, and found it swarming with activity. Oh, joy. Nico took a deep breath, memorized his book list, and hurled himself inside. 

He grabbed the needed books, and was barley balancing them one on top of the other, when he heard the voice of the stumpy red haired lady once more. He groaned and hoped Ron wasn't with her, but he could only hope as his view was blocked by the stack of books. 

Nico trudged over to the cashier, and set his books on the table, and swiveled his head around and saw the lady again-with the two red head twins, a smaller red-haired girl, and a peckish, older red haired boy-perhaps the eldest. 

"Percy, don't you go making a scene here." The mother scoled him. The boy rolled his eyes. 

One of the twins, either Fred or George, asked his mom, "Where's Ron got to?" 

Nico paid the cashier 3 galleons and 13 sickles, and bagged his books. 

The smaller girl answered, "He went off with Harry. I think they went to look for Hermione." 

Nico almost scoffered at the name, then hurried out of the shop before any of the suspicious redheads asked about him. If he had left an impression on Ron, he didn't want to think of what he left the others thinking.

After books, he decided he was done for the day, and went back to The Leaky Couldron. He walked briskly towards the entrance, the bag of books sometimes hitting his leg. 

Once inside the small little brick alley, he opened the door that led inside the pub, and was surpised to see Harry and Ron talking to a girl with very bushy hair. They were seated, drinking mugs of something that looked like beer-Wizards. England. There must be some law on that. Nico reminded himself to look that up later. Hermione's eyes flitted over to where Nico had entered, and he heard a bit of their conversation; "Well, maybe he had gotten lost, you don't think we should tell the Order?" that ended with Ron crying out and reaching under the table to stroke his, probably bruised, shin. "Why'd you do that, 'Mione?" Hermiones head tilted in the direction of Nico, and Ron's face turned bright red as he looked over to the door. 

Man, these kids were nosy. Nico rolled his eyes at them and walked over to the staircase, and trudged up. He was glad to be back in his room, but was suprised to see a large, leather trunk on the bed. He walked over to it, setting his bag of books on the floor, and picked up the note on top. 

It was written in Greek, which was why Nico had little trouble reading it-even with his father's regal handwriting. "Nico, Hectate mentioned that all students carry their personal belongings in a trunk. I thought it could be of assistance to your misson." 

That was it. No 'I love you' no 'keep safe'. Nico sighed. When he first realized he could keep things in it, he first thought of a body. Perhaps-Voldemort's body. Nico grinned and shook his head, telling himself, "You're a little messed up, Nico." 

He decided it would be easier to move it off his bed without all his belongings inside. So he picked it up, finding it was suprisingly light, and began stacking all of his items inside. First-his duffle bag. He didn't bother with re-packing, he just threw the bag inside with the contents. Then his cauldron and dragon-hide gloves and apothecary ingridents and scales and telescope and robes and new ties and sweater vests and all sorts of clothing, followed by his books. He kept his wand on his bedside table. Tomorrow, he would learn more about Harry Potter, and perhaps he would stop at that Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour.


End file.
